The present invention relates to an electrochemical sensor.
Electrochemical sensors for use in analyzing exhaust emissions from internal combustion engines are described in, for example, from chapter 6 xe2x80x9cExhaust Gas Sensorsxe2x80x9d in Automotive Electronics Handbook (1994), by Wiedenmann et al. Such sensors contain a sensor element having at least one electrode with an electrode lead arranged on a first ion-conducting solid electrolyte body and bordering at least some areas of a gas space provided in a second solid electrolyte body. The electrode is made of a cermet material in which the ceramic component is composed of, for example, 40 vol % ZrO2 stabilized with Y2O3 and the metallic component is platinum.
Such an electrode permits the exchange of oxygen between the gas space and the first solid electrolyte body, where the oxygen molecule O2 goes from the gas phase, takes up 4exe2x88x92 from the metallic component of the electrode, and converts it into two oxygen ions 2O2xe2x88x92 in the ceramic component of the electrode. The oxygen exchange thus takes place at the ternary or three-phase boundaries of the electrode, i.e., those areas of the electrode where the ceramic component, the metallic component and the gas space share a common boundary. Oxygen ions pass over the ceramic component of the electrode into the first solid electrolyte body, and electrons flow over the metallic component of the electrode and the electrode lead to a circuit outside the sensor element. The electrode has a certain porosity due to the addition of Y2O3 to the ZrO2, thus forming ternary boundaries not only on the outer surface of the electrode facing the gas space but also inside the electrode.
Because of its high ceramic content, electron conduction by the electrodes is impaired. If the platinum content of the electrode is increased relative to the content of ceramic component in order to increase electron conductivity, this results in an impairment in ionic conductivity and a reduction in porosity.
In determining the lambda value of an exhaust gas, it is also important for the exhaust gas to be in thermodynamic equilibrium in the area of the ternary boundaries. For this, the exhaust gas is converted by way of a catalyst to a state sufficiently approximating a thermodynamic equilibrium. The catalytic effect is achieved by catalytically active platinum. Under unfavorable conditions, however, the catalytic effect of platinum with such electrodes is inadequate for establishing the thermodynamic equilibrium.
Furthermore, German Patent No. 29905601.5 describes a design for an electrode wherein the electrode extends at least laterally beyond the gas space and into the area between the first and second solid electrolyte bodies. Therefore, the tensile stress that occurs because of local temperature differences when the sensor element is heated by a heating element is reduced by the good thermal conductivity of the electrode. However, one disadvantage of this electrode design is that the electrode has a low internal resistance with respect to ionic conduction because of its ZrO2 content, so that mixed potentials may occur and interfere with proper functioning of the sensor element.
The electrochemical sensor according to the present invention has the advantage in comparison with the related art that electron conduction in the electrode is improved. The current occurring with the oxygen exchange forms the measurement signal and flows mainly over the second layer due to the fact that the electrode has at least two layersxe2x80x94a second layer which faces the gas space and conducts electrons better than a first layer which faces the first solid electrolyte body. Therefore, in the case of a pump electrode, for example, the pump function is improved because of the reduced drop in pump voltage across the pump electrode applied by an external circuit.
Due to the porous design of the second layer, the gas to be analyzed can pass from the gas space through the second layer and can reach the first layer of the electrode. Adding a pore-forming agent according to the present invention to the second layer of the electrode makes it furthermore possible for the exhaust gas to pass from the gas space to the first layer, overcoming just a low diffusion resistance. At the same time, the amount of pore-forming agent used is so low that the electron conductivity of the second layer is not impaired by an excessively high porosity.
Due to the use of platinum as the metallic component of the second layer of the electrode in particular, the gas can achieve a thermodynamic equilibrium more reliably in passing through the second layer. The second layer can be stabilized mechanically by adding Al2O3. Furthermore, ionic conductivity is advantageously improved by adding Yb2O3 and/or In2O3 to the first layer of the electrode, and electron conductivity is improved by adding TiO2 to the first layer of the electrode.
The electrode lead also has good electron conductivity due to the fact that at least one layer made of the same material as the second layer of the electrode is provided for an electrode lead to the electrode.
Mixed potentials which cause problems with respect to ionic conduction because of the high resistance of the second layer are largely prevented because the second layer of the electrode is designed to be wider than the gas space at least across the longitudinal extent of the sensor element, so that the second layer extends into the area between the first and second solid electrolyte bodies.